Gareth Southgate admits his fears over government's plan for football

11 November 2023 , 22:30

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England boss Gareth Southgate (Image: Kieran McManus/REX/Shutterstock)

England boss Gareth Southgate fears the government’s bid to regulate football will be as effective as VAR.

Plans to bring in legislation to “safeguard the future of football clubs for the benefit of communities and fans” were confirmed in the King’s Speech to parliament during the week.

The proposal includes appointing an independent regulator to oversee the governance of the game. But Southgate is dubious about the motives behind the move - and warned that there are no easy solutions to the game’s problems.

Southgate, who believes VAR has failed because it tries to impose perfection on a game that is meant to be flawed, said: “If I'm honest I don't really know what the remit is.

‌“That's the bit I haven't read or haven't seen - or maybe isn't there. It’s hard to know. I know as an organisation the FA have supported the idea of some sort of financial controls but I'm not sure what's expected of the position, who this person is and what their experiences are.

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“It would worry me that we're trying to find simple solutions to very complex problems. Which is often the way in life. So who decides? If we interviewed every owner in the league, for example, would we have come to the right conclusion as to whether they were going to be good or bad at that moment in time? I'd say ‘no’.

‌“And who actually decides when they are good or bad? I was at Aston Villa for years everybody used to hammer (chairman) Doug Ellis because he didn't spend enough - and yet he left a club that had a great training ground, a great and developed ground, were financially stable, always in the top six and had won a couple of trophies.

“Was he a good owner or a bad owner? Different people will have a different view. I haven't read through it all because I'm dubious that we can solve all the issues. For me it's another VAR waiting to happen.”

Simon Mullock